Have I got everything, purse, water bottle, gun?

Thursday

Jan 24, 2013 at 12:15 AM

NANCY CELANI BAKER

I did something yesterday that I never thought I would do. I applied for a concealed carry permit. And I don't even own a gun. Yet.

The clerk commented that she had processed 110 permits in the first 22 days of 2013. She said they've never had that many requests in that little amount of time. A lot of the requests are probably people like me who don't own guns yet but hope to be grandfathered in if the gun laws change.

I had to wonder, why the sudden uptick in interest in getting a gun? Although I don't own a personal handgun, we do have one in the house. We got it when the kids were young because hubby was traveling a lot and there were some break-ins and vandalism in our neighborhood in Douglasville, Ga. I didn't get serious about getting good with it till we had the episode of the bad dogs.

There were two large dogs in the neighborhood, Jason and Hammer. When they got out or were let out, they would kill or injure pets and on one known occasion they ran toward some kids. I had been menaced by them once on my morning walk. We tried to do the right thing by calling Animal Control. We went to court three times, and still could not get the owner to secure the dogs.

One day I was on my hands and knees weeding my front garden. The kids, ages 18 months and 5 years, were playing on the driveway behind me. You know the creepy feeling you get when you're being watched? I had it. I slowly looked around and there were Hammer and Jason, stalking my kids.

I quietly told the kids to slowly and quietly go into the house. I stood up with a hoe in my hand and murder in my heart. I vowed if those dogs ever stalked my kids again it would be SSS time, (shoot 'em, shovel 'em and shut up). I was enrolled in a county-sponsored gun class and at the range blowing up targets within a week.

My family of origin was appalled. They thought it was wrong to have a gun in the house with small kids. Well the gun had a trigger lock, was kept in a locked drawer and the ammo was in another drawer the kids couldn't reach.

The kids never even knew we had a gun till they were much older. We still have the gun, but to tell you the truth, I couldn't tell you where it is in the house right now.

So why am I interested in carrying a gun now? I think I and a lot of other women are in the same situation now. When we were younger, we always thought we could run from trouble if we needed to. In truth, while working in downtown Detroit when I was 19, I did once outrun a threatening weirdo while wearing platform high-heels and a mini-skirt, so I knew it could be done. But I am not 19 anymore and I couldn't outrun a turtle. If trouble finds me, I can't get away.

In my usual decision making way, I've asked my family for opinions and done quite a bit of research. Come to find out that all my sibs and my dad now own a gun and/or have a concealed carry permit. I guess we're all in the same position of not being able to outrun trouble anymore.

Not only am I a woman-of-a-certain-age, but I am a woman-of-a-certain-size. My biggest question is not, "Is it moral to use deadly force to defend myself?" or "Could I shoot human being if necessary?" (the answer is yes to both), but "How and where will I carry a gun?" Ah Google, my ever-present help in times of wondering. Type in "concealed carry for women" and these are the top two sites: www.armedinheels.com and www.packingpretty.com. They offer a wealth of information and I'm sure that with a bit of practice, I'll find a few good places to conceal a gun.

I do have some concerns about carrying a concealed weapon. I currently leave the house three times before I actually have everything with me that I need for wherever I'm going. Am I going to be adding a fourth return trip to the house to get my gun? In the last two days I've lost a change box, the remote to the garage door and my water bottle while I was out.